06 Sep Ultra Low Emissions Zone: How It Affects You

From September 2020 there will be a new charge for vehicles planning to drive in London.

The Ultra Low Emissions Zone will come into effect in September 2020 and is meant to continue the drive to improve public health. All PHVs will need to meet exhaust emissions standards or pay an additional daily charge when travelling within central London.

These new rules could mean a significant increase in daily costs or need for investment in new vehicles which will always be a greater burden on smaller companies.

• Petrol cars, vans and minibuses must be Euro 4
• Diesel cars, vans and minibuses must be Euro 6

From 2020, all PHVs travelling in the ULEZ zone must meet these requirements or pay £12.50 a day per vehicle.

Transport for London will also be changing the licensing requirements for PHVs to encourage companies to use zero emissions vehicles and these will apply to the whole of London, not just the Ultra Low Emissions Zone, which follows the boundaries of the current congestion charge.

A Zero Emissions Capable vehicle is defined as having a zero emission range of at least 20 miles and must produce less than 75g/km CO2.

The new emissions timetable

There are three phases for the introduction of the new licensing requirement to ensure that by 1 January 2023 all vehicles granted a private hire license will be ZEC, regardless of age.

1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019

In advance of the zero emission capable requirements from 2020, all PHVs licensed for the first time during this period must have a Euro 6 petrol or diesel engine, or a Euro 4 petrol-hybrid engine.

1 January 2020 to 31 December 2018

All new (less than 18 months old) PHVs licensed for the first time will have to be zero emission capable

PHVs over 18 months old will need to have a Euro 6 engine when licensed for the first time

From 1 January 2023

All PHVs (of any age) will need to be zero emission capable when licensed for the first time.

For companies who will have to buy new vehicles, the government is offering a Plug-in Car Grant to help with the initial costs. You can read more here.

However, there have been discussions to introduce the ULEZ 17 months earlier in central London, with a proposed start date of 8 April 2019 as well as tightening the emissions standards. Here at zoom we will be keeping an eye on any developments and the TfL consultation and reporting back to you.